Die holder



y 1950 1.. H. MESSINGER 2,506,161

DIE HOLDER Filed June 14, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR E6 4 A55 75/? H MfSS/A/Gff? H. my

ATTORNEY Patented May 2, 1950 DIE HOLDER Lester H. Messinger, Trumbull, Conn, assignor to Remington Arms Company, Inc., Bridgeport, Conn., a corporation of Delaware Application June 14, 194'2, Serial No. 754,745

3 Claims.

This invention relates to machines for the siz ing of tubes of paper or other plastic material by impaling the tube to be sized on a mandrel and thrusting tube and mandrel thru a die which effects a reduction in the exterior dimension of the tube. A machine for this purpose is fully illustrated and described in a prior (p-pending application of the same inventor, Serial No. 601,273, filed June 23, 1945, now Patent No. 2,485,007, issued October 18, 1949.

The present invention contemplates an improvement in die holding means by which there is effected a material improvement in the functioning of the machine as a whole.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary, longitudinal, sectional elevation, showing the parts in the position they occupy while a mandrel is being inserted into a tube.

Fig. 2 is a detail, fragmentary, longitudinal, sectional elevation, showing a die lifted to tube-receiving position by a mandrel.

Fig. 3 is a, fragmentary, transverse elevation on the line 33 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary, transverse, sectional elevation, substantially on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

In the machine described in the aforementioned patent, a tube holding hopper is arranged to simultaneously deliver several tubes onto horizontally aligned supports in positions in which each tube lies between and is in alignment with a tube receiving mandrel and a sizing die.' The mandrels are reciprocated, and in their advanced movement are intended to pass entirely through and project slightly from the tubes to be sized, each tube coming to abut an appropriate shoulder on the mandrel. With the tubes in this position, further advance movement of the mandrels carries each mandrel with the tube thereon through an associated sizing die. The tubes to be sized are of a length of some 14 or even longer, and are ordinarily wound from paper stock, which results in tubes which are not too rigid and in evitably vary somewhat in both interior and exterior diameter. In fact, the principal object of the sizing operation is to bring the tubes to controlled interior and exterior diameters. In the operation of the machine of said application, it was found that, due to the relative softness and interior diameter variations of the tubes, the mandrels did not always fully enter the tubes but, instead, would too frequently thrust tubes forward and into the sizing die while that portion of the tube entering the die lacked internal support. The result was that many tubes, instead of being properly sized in the die, were crushed, and rendered useless.

The present invention contemplates an arrangement and mounting of dies in which each die is normally out of alignment with the associated mandrel to such an extent that the face of the die itself acts as an abutment which is engaged by the forward end of the tube and serves to hold the tube against longitudinal movement until the mandrel has fully entered the tube. Thereafter, the tapered end of the mandrel enters the throat of the die and serves to displace the die to a position where the tub upon the mandrel can enter and pass through the die.

The complete machine embodies a plurality of identical devices in side-by-side relationship. In general, a description of one will sumce.

A tube T is delivered from a hopper, not shown, onto a trough-like support [0, where it i substantially aligned between a sizing mandrel H and a throat piece I2 of a die-holding yoke identified generally by numeral [3. The sizing die set preferably comprises two separate die elements or dies, I4 and I5. To provide for the movement of each die set out of and into alignment with mandrel I I and the tube T thereon, as well as to enable ready access to and replacement of worn dies, the die holder is preferably constructed as follows:

A fixed transversely extending die holder plate It, which is common to all of th dies, comprises a plurality of die holding notches I! open at the top and preferably having arcuate bottoms substantiall conforming to the curvature of the dies. Each notch I1 is of somewhat greater depth than the outside diameter of a die set, and each die normally rests in the bottom of its notch, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. The thickness of plate I6 is substantially equal to the length of a die set. To hold each die set against endwise movement, there are provided a set of die holding yokes 13 which are individual to the dies and straddle the notch plate It. The fork of each yoke adjacent the die entrance is provided with a flaring aperture or throat which, to facilitate replacement, is preferably formed in a separate brushing l2. The smallest diameter of the flaring throat adjacent die [5 is substantially equal to the maximum diameter of the throat of said die. The fork of each yoke adjacent the exit side of the die comprises a notch defined by the spaced legs I8, which notch is open at the bottom, arcuate at the top, and of such dimensions that the adjacent surface of the yoke furnishes a solid support for the die without interference with the passage of a tube through the die and the downward delivery of a sized tube immediately adjacent to the die.

Each yoke rests upon the top of the notched plate [6 and is held in proper transverse position by suitable means, such as studs [9 projecting from said plate. The tops of the yokes are fiat surfaces, and the yokes are held against undesired upward movement by a latch bar 20, common, to the set of yokes. This latch bar is preferably held in place by readily manipulable means, such as knurled head screws 2| which take into a fixed part 22 of the machine.

A die in the bottom of a notch l'i is out of alignment with the aperture of throat 12, the tube T and the sizing mandrel. Hence, when tube T is thrust forward, through its engagement by the sizing mandrel, the end of theltube abuts/these terior planar face 23 of die l and is supported against such face while mandrel I I passes into and through the tube. The end of mandrel II issuitably tapered, as shown at 24, and when the tapered mandrel end emerges from the tube it is in positionto engage the throat or approach surface 25 of die l5 and lift the die into substantial alignment with the mandrel and the tube thereon. r

The relation of the parts as a tube T impaled on the mandrel isentering the die is shown in Fig. 2. A die has been lifted awa from the bottom of the notch il' to-such an extent that the end of tube T clears the die face- 23 and is enabled to enterthe die throat. Thus, the combination of floating die and tapered-mandrel enables the continuous sizing of tubes without the necessity for shifting a loaded mandrel away from a tube-abutment and intoa-lignment' with a die, a necessity which is characteristic of the prior art.

What isclaimed is 1. Apparatus for the sizing of plastically deformable tubes comprising. a sizing die, means for supporting a tube to be sized infront of said die, a mandrel adapted in one continuous movement to first enter and pass through the tube to be sized and thereafter to carry said tube through completely interiorly supported by said mandrel, and means for displacing said die to enable said tube to enter said die.

2. Apparatus for the sizing of plastically deformable tubes comprising a sizing die, means for supporting a tube to be sized in front of said die, a mandrel adapted in one continuous movement to firstenter andpass through. the tube to be sized and thereafter to carrysaid tube through said sizing die, a holder for said die normally supporting said die in position to preclude the entrance of the tube into said die until the tube is completely interiorly supported by said mandrel, and means for displacing said die to enable said tube to; enter said die, said means comprising a cam surface on said mandrel.

3., Apparatus for the sizing of plastically deformable tubes comprising a sizing die, means for supporting a tube to be sized in front of said die, a mandrel adapted in one continuous movement to first enter and pass through the tube to be sized and thereafter to carry said' tube through said sizing die, a holder for said die normally-supporting said die in position to preclude the entrance of the tube intosaid die until the tube is completely interiorly supported by said mandrel, said die holder comprising a vertically disposed plate having therein a vertical die-receiving slot and a yoke member straddling said plate and'said die to hold said die against endwise movement, and means for displacing said die' in. said slot when said tube is fully interiorly supported by said mandrel.

LESTER H. MESSINGER.

REFERENCES CITED ihe following references are of record in the file of this-patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,623,965 Marshall Apr. 12, 1927 2,357,168 Bruining Aug. 29, 1944 2,407,337 Kolter Sept. 10, 1946 

